I am slowly getting ready to leave Australia (again). Passport and visa is all organised, almost all the flights are booked, accommodation isn't sorted but at least I have a few shortlists, clothes are organised but packing has been hampered by kittens playing in suitcases, and now I just need to finish up at work and say 'seeya later!' to quite a few people. One week to go - and there's still waaay too much stuff to do!
For those not already in the know I am moving from Melbourne to the UK for a grad dip in Cirencester. I'm leaving in mid-August, but classes don't start until early October, so I have lots and lots of time to travel wherever I like and to visit friends and family! The current plan looks like this:
- Leave Australia, stopover in Dubai for a couple of nights to visit my amazing multilingual Canadian buddy Danielle, also go shopping and on a desert safari and things.
- Get to the UK, dump my winter clothes in my new house in Cirencester, try to sort out bank accounts, possibly meet one of my new housemates.
- Go to Rome to visit Uncle David, Jenelle and cousin Isabel (it's been such a long time since I've seen them all!).
- Somehow get to Split in Croatia (not sure how just yet) by the end of August.
- Go on a Busabout tour through the Balkans. I'm expecting this to involve lots of drinking with fellow Aussies, seeing the major sights, and spending a lot of time on a bus. Never been on a package bus tour, so it will be an interesting experience (hopefully). Major stops are in Bosnia, Serbia, Bulgaria and then finishing in Turkey.
- Meet up with Danielle (from Canada/Dubai) in Istanbul, go adventuring around the classic tourist route (Cappadocia, the Med coast, Ephesus, Troy and Gallipoli etc).
- Get a train through Bulgaria, hang out in Romania for a bit, finish up in Budapest in Hungary.
- Fly to Gothenburg in Sweden to meet up with school mates Aaron and Carla.
- Fly back to the UK, buy a car, settle into the house, start uni!
I'll try to write a post for each segment of the trip, but no guarantees!
That's about it for now, have to sort out my travel insurance and pay the first bit of my UK rent (amongst other things). Will write more later on!
Alice
